Collating device.



E. P. JENNINGS, in. COLLATlNG DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAYZS. 191s.

Patented Jan. 15, 1918.

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EMERSON 1?. JENNINGS, JR, 01E LE QHIGHTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

. GOLLATING- DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1 .5, 1918.

Application filed May 29, 1915. Serial No. 31,189.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMERSON P. JENNINoe', Jr., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Lehighton, in the county of Carbon and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in C01-lating Devices, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to collating devices. In the production ofcertain classes of printed matter it is sometimes desirable to printsimultaneously upon three webs from three separate forms carried side byside on the form-bed. The webs of paper are carried from rolls inparallel relation across the formsand to the cutter. They pass throughthe cutter side by side and each web is severed upon each operation ofthe cutter. The subject matter of the forms is often related in such amanner that it is desirable that the three impressions, or three printedsheets which have been severed, should be delivered in a predeterminedsuperimposed relation. For example, the three sheets may constitute theoriginal, duplicate and triplicate of a bill of lading and the threeparts of the bill should be delivered with the original on top, theduplicate next below and the triplicate on the. bottom. When severedfrom.

the'wcbs by the cutter, they are arranged side by side.

The object of the present invention is to 'provide a device which willreceive a plurality of sheets side by side and will doliver the same ina superimposed arran e: 'ment, and to provide such a device which willbe very simple in construction, positive in its operation andinexpensive to manufacture. To this end, it-is a further object toprovide such a device with an endless belt actuator which advances theseveral sheets to the delivery point and causes them to be arranged inproper superimposed relation'. A further object of the invention is toprovide in connection with such an endless belt a support comprising aplurality of parts, one for each sheet, and to so arrange thesesupports, with relation one to the other,that the sheets will be placedin superimposed. relation as they are moved along the support. Otherobjects of more or less importance will appear as the invention isdescribed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a deviceembodying my invention, showing the same mounted at the delivery end ofa printing press; Fig. 2 is a sectional View, taken on the line a: a: ofFig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 3 is a sideelevation looking toward the press.

In carrying out myinvention I have provided a device of such a characterthat it will receive, usually from the cutter or sheet delivery of aprinting press, a plurality of sheets, the sheets being arranged side byside upon the device. This device comprises an endless belt actuatingdevice Which moves the several sheets toward the point of delivery andthere delivers them in a superimposed relation. This actuating devicemay be driven in any suitable manner but preferably it is connected witha moving part of the printing press. In that form of the de viceillustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 T have shown the invention in connectionwith a printing press of a well known type which comprises a frame 1having at its forward end 'a cutter comprising a fixed blade 2 and avertically movable blade 3. The movable blade is driven from acontinuously rotating shaft 4 by means of eccentrics 5 which areconnected with the blade by arms 6 arranged at the opposite endsthereof. Mounted just beyond the cutter, on a slightly lower plane, isthe collating device which, as here shown, comprises a frame 7 which maybe supported on or adjacent to the frame of the printing press. lln thepresent instance I have shown it as connected to the press by means ofbrackets 8. Journaled in the side members of the frame 7 are two shafts9 having mounted thereon rollers 10 about which extends an endless belt11. This endless belt constitutes an actuator for the "collating de viceand it may be of any suitable character although, in the presentinstance, it is shown as consisting of a single web of materialsupported throughout its width upon the rollers or drums 10. This beltis preferably driven continuously, and in the present arrangement of themechanism drive the belt from the continuously rotating shaft 4 of theprinting press. This connection may be made in any suitable manner but,as here shown, the shaft 9 of one of the rollers is this particular formof the device I have arranged above the endless belt actuating device asupport upon which the sheets of paper are received, as they are severedby the cutter of the printing press. As here shown this supportcomprises a plurality of parts, one for each web of paper. In that formof the support shown in Figs. 1 to 3 each part is formed separately fromthe other parts and the .several parts are supported in a predeterminedrelation upon the frame 7. As shown in these figures each part of thesupport comprises a series of bars or slats 18 spaced apart to formslots 19 between them. These slots extend longitudinally of the endlessbelt actuating device and this actuating device is provided with aseries of fingers 20 adapted to travel through the slots and engage thesheets of paper which rest upon the support and extend across one ormore of the slots in the respective parts thereof. The slots in theseveral parts of the support are arranged in alinement so that thefingers of the actuating device travel throughout the length of thesupport and successively engage the sheets of paper carried by theseveral parts thereof. The rear ends of the several bars 19 are curvedupwardly, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and are'connected one tothe otherby means of transverse bars 21, which bars are supported at their endson the frame members 7 by means of stand-- ards 22. This arrangement hastwo results, first, .it places the connecting members or bars 21 aboveand out of the path of the cleats or fingers 20 carried by the endlessbelt actuator. The arrangement also determines the relation of thesheets. It will be apparent that as the sheet first engaged by theactuator is moved forward, toward the left in Figs. 1 and 3, it willengage the rear portion of the second part of the support and will bedeflected downward onto the actuator belt 11 and when the sheet on thesec- 0nd or intermediate part of the support is engaged by the fingersof the actuator it likewise will be deflected downward beneath the thirdpart of the deflector. Thus, the

three sheets are arranged one above the other and last part of thesupport is engaged by Y the actuator the three sheets move forwardtogether and are discharged from the belt onto a suitable table orreceiving board 23 which may be a part of the mechanism or may besupported independently thereof. To prevent the forward ends of the websfrom passing between the bars or slats of the support, as the webs arefed past the cutter, I preferably arrange the bars at an inclination toa horizontal plane, as shown in Fig. 2. Consequently, the ends of thesheets, if they sag downward, will engage the sloping surfaces of theslats and ride upward over the same instead of passing beneath theslats.

The driving mechanism for the actuator is so timed with relation to themovement of the cutter that a set ,of fingers 20 will travel the entirelength of the support between successive operations of the cutter, thuscollating the sheets after each operation. In the present instance theactuator has but a single set of fingers 20 and is caused to make onecomplete revolution for each operation of the cutter.

It will be noted that with the mechanism here illustrated the severalsheets are delivered to the receiving table in a proper superimposedrelation; that the operating mechanism is of an exceedingly simplecharacter; and that the whole device is such that not only is itpositive in its operation and not liable to .become disarranged so as tointerrupt the operation thereof, but that there is no possibility of animproper arrangement of the sheets. They must of necessity assume thecorrect positions.

It will be understood that while I have shown the invention as embodiedina artlcular mechanism, this mechanism has een chosen for the purposeof illustration only and that I do not wish to be limited to the detailsof construction shown and described, for obvious modifications willoccur to a personskilled in the art.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device ofthe character described, a support arranged to receivea plurality of sheets s1de by s1de,said support having a plurallty ofparts arranged in substantially the same plane to receive the respectivesheets, the several parts having alined slots,

meager beneath the sheet on the following part thereof.

2. In a device of the character described, a support arranged to receivea plurality of sheets side by side, said support having a plurality ofparts arranged lIl substantially the same plane to receive therespective sheets and each of said parts being provided with a slot andhaving itsrear end turned upwardly, and an actuating device arrangedbeneath said support and having a finger to travel through the slots inthe several parts of said support to move the sheet on one part of saidsupport beneath the sheet on the following part thereof.

3. In a device of the character described, a support arranged to receivea plurality of sheets, side by side, said support having a plurality ofparts arranged to receive the respective sheets, each of said partscomprising a plurality of substantially parallel bars spaced apart toform slots between them, the bars of each succeeding part having theirrear ends turned upwardly to defleet downwardly the forward edges of thesheet advanced from the preceding part, and an actuating device arrangedbeneath said support and having fingers arranged to travel through theslots between said bars.

4:. In a device of the character described, a

a support to receive a plurality of sheets side by side, said supportcomprising a series of bars arranged parallel one to the other andspaced apart, each of said bars being inclined transversely to itslength, and an actuating device having fingers arranged to travelthrough the spaces be.- tween the respective bars.

5. In a device of the character described, a supportarranged to receivea plural ty of sheets side by side, said support having a plurality ofparts arranged to receive the respective sheets, each of said partscomprising a plurality of substantially parallel bars spaced apart toform slots between them and each having its supporting surface inclinedtransversely to its length, said bars having their rear ends turnedupwardy, and an actuating device arranged beneath said'support andhaving fingers arranged to travel through the slots between said bars.

6. In a device of the character described, a frame, a support arrangedto receive a plurality of sheets side by side, said support having aplurality of parts arranged to receive the respective sheets, each ofsaid parts comprising a plurality of substantially parallel bars spacedapart to form slots between them, said bars having their rear endsturned upwardly, transverse bars supported on saidframe and connectedwith-the upturned ends of the bars of the respective parts, and anactuating device arranged be neath said support and having fingersarranged to pass beneath said transverse bars and to travel through theslots between the first-mentioned bars.

7. In a device of the character decribed a frame, a support arranged toreceive a plurality of sheets side by side, said support having aplurality of parts arranged to receive the respective sheets, each ofsaid parts comprising a plurality of substantially parallel bars spacedapart to form slots between them, said bars having their rear endsturned upwardly, transverse bars supported on said frame and connectedwith the upturned ends of the bars of the respective parts, and anendless belt mounted beneath said support and having a plurality offingers arranged in alinement transversely thereof and adapted to travelthrough the respective slots between said parallel bars and beneath saidtransverse bars.

8. In a device of the character described, a frame a support arranged toreceive a plurality of sheets side by side, said support having aplurality of parts arranged to receive the respective sheets, each ofsaid parts comprising a plurality of substantially parallel bars spacedapart to form slots between them, said bars having their rear endsturned upwardly, transverse bars supported on said frame and connectedwith the upturned ends of the bars of the respective parts, saidparallel bars of each series being inclined transversely to their lengthto present inclined surfaces toward one side of said support, and anactuating device arranged beneath said support and having fingersarranged to travel through said slots between said parallel bars and topass beneath said transverse bars.

9. In a device of the character described, a support arranged to receivea plurality of sheets side by side, said support having a plurality ofparts arranged to receive the respective sheets, each of said partscomprising a series of bars spaced apart to form slots between them, thecorresponding slots of the several parts of said support being arrangedin alinement, and an actuating device arranged beneath said support andhaving fingers arranged to travel through the respective slots, the rearends of the bars of each series after the first series being turnedupward so that the sheet first engaged by said actuating device-will bemoved beneath that part of the support upon which the second sheet restsand the two sheets will then be moved beneath that part of the supportcarrying the third sheet.

10. In a mechanism of the character described, the combination with adevice arranged to deliver, at each operation, a plurality of sheets,means to actuate said device,

of a device arranged to receive said sheets,

as they are delivered and support the same side by side, said deviceconiprising a plubeneath the sheet on the following part rality of partsarranged in substantially the thereof, and a driving connection betweensame plane to receive the respective sheets, said actuating device andthe actuating theseveral parts of said device having alined means forsaid delivery device.

5 slots, and each part after the first having its In testimony whereof,I afiix my signature 15 rear end elevated above the forward porinpresence of two witnesses.

tionthereof and above the adjacent edge of EMERSON P. JENNINGS, JR; thepreceding part, an actuating device hav- Witnesses: ing a finger totravel through said slots and ELIZABETH B. GASSNER,

10 move the, sheet on one part of said device P.- M. GRAUL.

